TRANSFORMERS THE NEXT GENERATION - BOOK II The female hedgehog warrior turns away from the window. She stares at Negator's military command post. If only she could tap into the magic in other words place Al into a mind trance of sorts for a few seconds - then the StarFox shuttle could be warned. Sonia knows her chances of getting through the enemy aren't very good. But the reward would be worth the risk. At the same time she feels the weight of the laser weapons strapped to her backside inside the backpack. They are her other option. If she could find a good hiding place, she could shoot them at Anubis. Buzz and company would hear the explosion and see the danger ahead of them. That is if the plan worked. Sonia Hedgehog is going to try the military controls using the light-side of magic in controlling Al Negator's mind to obey her will. SONIA: I don't care what happens to me! I can't let Buzz Lightyear fly into this trap or ambush. She marches towards the military command post. Bucky trails nervously behind. BUCKY: Just act like or pretend like you know what you're doing. They stroll past the Decepticons and MonStars who take no heed or pay any attention to the uniformed intruders. Soon they enter a room filled with computer hardware. Sonia and Bucky go directly to a large monitor. It is tracking the positions in space of Negator, Anubis and the StarFox shuttle. Her eyes drop to the keyboard below it. SONIA: I think I got it. I know how to make Negator obey my will. At the same time Bucky senses something wrong, like a tremor in the magic so to speak. His power ring starts to warn him of danger approaching as he spins around removing his light-saber hilt from his utility belt, and...standing in the doorway is Lien-Da an echidna mutant clad in black leather catsuit, tall black boots, cybernetic robotic enhancements, her own light-saber activated its red blade humming ominously except this model had two glowing crossguards on either side of the hilt. LIEN-DA: What-the? Intruders...I sense light-side magic, StarFox Autobot that is. Prepare to be destroyed. BUCKY: No way, misses. Do it now, Sonia! Sonia with a brief glance back at Lien-Da about to attack then spins back to her task. She punches a sequence of buttons on the keyboard. Lien-Da lashes out with force lightning from her outstretched hands only to have it deflected by Bucky's saber turning the bolts harmlessly away. Angered she lunges forth in a series of slashes and stabs both high and low, and sideways strikes that Bucky parried easily then attacked back forcing Lien-Da to defend herself from his death blows against her. Back and forth they dueled fiercely each trying to get through the other's guard first. BUCKY: I'm not going to let you destroy Team StarFox. The light shines forever in the universe! LIEN-DA: Is that so? Then let's see if you can destroy me, eh? BUCKY: With pleasure ma'am. LIEN-DA: Ooooooooh! They glared fiercely over locked sabers pushing against each other before Bucky executed a force shove staggering Lien-Da off balance then flipped through the air to land behind her as she pivoted to face him again ready to block his strikes against her. Bucky a skilled warrior in saber-fighting struck with high thrusts and foreward stabs forcing Lien-Da backwards as she struggled to keep him away from her. Once again they locked sabers glaring nose to nose. BUCKY: Looks like you've met your match. LIEN-DA: Never... She struck out again with force lightning making Bucky parry the electricity away but that left him open to a powerful leaping roundhouse kick! Bucky stumbled, went down hard, Lien-Da leaped at him her red saber coming down like a finger of death! LIEN-DA: Now you die! BUCKY: Guess again...wench. Gasping in surprise the echidna fought to break free from the invisible grip as Bucky propelled her over his head and body but she skillfully rotated in midair to land on her boots again then whirled around to face him again as he flipped onto his boots. They circled warily their sabers waving up and down like swaying cobras poised to strike. LIEN-DA: It seems I underestimated your skills as a saber expert. Maybe you should join me and together we can rule the universe. BUCKY: Sorry but I must decline your generous offer my dear. I fight only on the side of light-magic and kindness. LIEN-DA: Ooooooooh... then die as you deserve to! BUCKY: Never! They swung their blades together but ended up grappling fiercely as both trapped the other's sabers in their grasp, eyes narrowed, teeth bared and straining with all their might they pushed back and forth in an effort to force one or the other's saber down into a killing blow. For the moment they were evenly matched! BUCKY: StarWolf will never...never triumph over the Sol system! LIEN-DA: Ha! That's what...you think... Suddenly both struck out with force shoves simultaneously the combined powers hurling them away from one another to collide against opposite walls briefly stunned from the impact. Sonia cast another look over her shoulder. SONIA: Oops, not good. Okay, here goes nothing. Meanwhile the two combatants advanced on each other, red and green sabers humming ominously. Once again they traded death blows back and forth with the occasional kicks, flips and so forth. Lien-Da went down, Bucky pounced on her but she trapped his saber against hers then they wrestled, rolling over and over on the floor until on their sides glaring nose to nose their sabers locked and sparking. BUCKY: You will never survive. LIEN-DA: Guess again, fool. They struggled back to their boots still locked in a clinch and glaring fiercely. All of a sudden it was Bucky who executed a surprise move that took Lien-Da totally off-guard. He side-kicked her hard releasing a gasp or shock from the echidna, she staggered back a step or two then he lashed out parrying another downward stroke, spun sideways in one fluid motion pushing the red saber down and away making Lien-Da strain to pull free her saber but before she could he pivoted again this time pushing Lien-Da's saber up into the air forcing her to reel backwards as she flailed to maintain her balance. LIEN-DA: Aaaaaaugh! All of a sudden Bucky Hare delivered a stab to the chest! Lien-Da gasped, eyes still wide but no exclamation of pain came from her, instead a choked-off cry escaped her lips. For a brief moment she stood like a statue then her legs buckled-collapsed beneath her body as she fell to both knees, her saber clattering to the floor deactivated then toppled prostrate-face first to the floor. Bucky stared in stun disbelief at what he just did. BUCKY: Oh my god! Meanwhile Sonia had locked minds with Negator putting him under her control. She instructed him to lock weapons onto Anubis and in the next instant a shower of laser missiles spurt from the launchers. Red arrows trace the paths across space...straight into the jackal bodyguard! At the same time the Autobot shuttle stops in its trajectory. BUZZ: What in blazes was that?!! WILLY: Whoa! Did I see weapons fire from that shuttle? FIONA: Bullseye! MIRIAM: YeeHaaw! NINJARA: Take that you no good butt-head. SALLY: Looks like Anubis is going to feel a headache from now on. DEAD-EYE: Yo-ho-yo-ho, a pirate's life for me. Seconds later the Autobot shuttle zooms away to safety but then receives an incoming message from Sonia and Bucky saying they need a pick-up immediately onbard Negator. Within seconds the two Autobots transfer onto the StarFox shuttle and everyone returns into the gravity field atmosphere of Earth. On the way home Sonia reveals how she fooled Negator to do her bidding. SONIA: He had no clue whatsoever that he just betrayed his own leader. BUCKY: I can't believe I just killed a StarWolf Decepticon in saber combat. JENNY: Don't blame yourself. She would've struck you down just the same. BUCKY: Yeah, I suppose...and yet she was skilled in saber combat. WILLY: Reminds me of Luke Skywalker fighting his father Darth Vader-Anakin Skywalker but refused to kill him. Emperor Palpatine then tried killing him with force lightning but it was Anakin who saved his son's life as he turned against his dark master striking him down instead. BUZZ: Where did you hear about this? DuWitt Junior told his friends about the Star Wars movies from Episode I The Phantom Menace to Episode VII The Force Awakens of a showdown pitting Jedi Knights VS Sith Lords, the light-side of the Force versus the dark-side of the Force. Of a young boy Anakin Skywalker who dreamed of becoming a Jedi Knight but instead became a Sith Lord alias Darth Vader. WILLY: Now it is Luke who is the new master of the Jedi Order, his twin sister Leia the new leader of the New Republic, Han Solo the space pirate smuggler who married Leia and she gave birth to twins... BUCKY: Amazing. What about the Jedi ghosts? WILLY: Yoda, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker would continue assisting Luke in training his own students to master the ways of the Force and stay away from the dark-side. BUZZ: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived back on Earth. Welcome back to StarFox headquarters. All ashore please, all ashore. That made everyone erupt into laughter as they exited the shuttle where Bruiser Baboon, Monkey Kahn, Fara Phoenix awaited the results of the mission. That said and done it was DuWitt Junior getting a free ride hom in style onboard Sally's Solstice form back to San Francisco to reunite with his parents again. Buzz contacted his leaders on Corneria. BUZZ: So it is another triumph over the forces of evil. PEPPER: Good show my boy. You are proving yourself worthy as an Autobot leader like Fox McCloud. PEPPY: Bet Belladonna's throwing another temper tantrum. MAX: Who can blame her? And sure enough...inside the dark castle on Corneria the whippet sorceress was screaming like crazy with clenched fists, eyes shut. BELLADONNA: Aaaaaaaaaaugh! END OF CHAPTER 1 OF BOOK II